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Colrain Jany 22 1784

From the many & united complaints of Numbers of the
Good Subjects of these United States I take this Opertunity to
write to you Sir, tho Unacquainted & unknown to me I doubt
not that you are a Gentleman of Honr. This Grevous & Desperate
Contention Between the Yorkers & New State people so called is
Risen to that pitch I very much Fear the Consequence & the
Termination? will be serious for my own part am not any
ways Deserous to Meddle on either side. But Dear Sir I must
at this Time Give my advice which is that if you Immedealy
Desist from Disturbing or Distressing the good subjects of ther
states & from the effusion of Blood: for I am Led from what I
se to conclude that if the Congress in their wisdom shoud not
settle the affair the spirit of the people in this part of the state
will not se their Fellow men Butchered there is now Sir a
Number of Desering & Insuling? Upon it that I shoud Interfer?
But at present shall not any otherwise than by Advice Contrived?
to myself that it is for the preservation of you & the Lives of
those under you as well as the Lives of your opponents that
I now write you for Believe me Dear Sir that shoud this method
of Distressing the good Subjects of these united State & taking &
or Destroying their property illegally it will be out of my power
try Any means to prevent the Militia from Rising and
Assisting their Brethren, you can not but remember the
Recommendation of Congress in this very unhappy affair to
which I refer you; & for peace the Greatest Blessing we can
enjoy Desire & Request that you will Desist at Least till Our
Great Head shall Deside the affair. Least matters are attend
ed With them very serious Consequences that wise afford
too Late a Repentance for Any thing farther in the affair
must Refer you to The Bearers of Capt Adams in the mean time Sir
Wishing you Health & Prosperity in all Legal Proceedings

I am Dear Sir your most sincere Friend & Very Humble

Siny H Mc? [Col. Hugh McClellan?]

(c) Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield MA. All rights reserved.
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Vermont was first settled in 1724 by people from Massachusetts. Soon after, both New York and New Hampshire claimed the region. On July 2, 1764, the Privy Council in England approved an order setting the boundary between New York and New Hampshire at the Connecticut River which gave New York the Vermont land. The people of Vermont organized militia and were determined to maintain their independence. In 1777, Vermonters officially declared themselves independent and claimed the land to the Hudson River and along the western shore of Lake Champlain. Congress passed an act in 1781 that required Vermont to relinquish this claim. However, the Vermonters were persistent and in 1790, New York agreed to recognize Vermont as a separate state. This letter concerns the squabbles between Vermonters and New Yorkers and asks for cooler heads to prevail and for the actions to cease.

 

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Letter to Commanding Officer in Gilford from Colrain's Colonel Hugh McClellan regarding land disputes in New York

author   Hugh Col. McClellan (1743-1816)
date   Jan 22, 1784
location   Colrain, Massachusetts
height   12.5"
width   7.25"
process/materials   manuscript, paper, ink
item type   Personal Documents/Letter
accession #   #L06.085


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See Also...

Letter to Colonel Israel Williams

Letter to Lt. James Stewart

"Coleraine/Leyden"


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